An open letter, sponsored by forty-six of America’s leading foreign policy academics, was recently posted to the bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (previously mentioned here: http://powerpolitics.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/11/17/slashing-the-us-defense-budget-not-so-fast/ ) criticizing the Obama Administration’s exemption of defense spending from the bulk of austerity measures aimed at restoring “fiscal responsibility”. As a service to my readers, […]
Proprietorship of information is an integral part of any nation’s foreign policy and national security. Ultimately, through collecting, maintaining, and exploiting secrets, governments can accrue advantages over both adversaries and partners, whether political, military, or even economic. Conversely, loss of such an advantage can have unforeseen and particularly damning consequences. One such consequence, as appears […]
Having largely gone unreported by the Western media in general, a burgeoning arms race between Azerbijan and Armenia has steadily crystalized over the past few years. Predominantly concerning frictions over the disputed regions of Nagorno-Karabakh drawn across ethnic and geopolitical lines, the two nations have begun acquiring military hardware at a frantic rate. Emboldened by the rapid […]
With the recent submission of findings by the bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recommending a 15 percent cut in U.S. defense procurement and a 10 percent reduction in research and development, the future of American military dominance appears to be in question. Even prior to the report’s release, the Pentagon launched a […]
Later this week, representatives of NATO member states are scheduled to meet in Lisbon, Portugal, where they will adopt a new strategic concept – the first since 1999. On October 8th, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen spelled out the direction of the new framework document. As overarching security concerns have shifted significantly for the […]
On Tuesday, President Obama officially endorsed India’s potential bid to join the P5 with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. While realists may view the UNSC as the only arguably substantive body within the United Nations, an article this week in Time Magazine provides excellent commentary as to precisely why India should not […]
David Cameron and Nicholas Sarkozy this week signed a historic 50-year treaty designed to vitalize defense and security cooperation between Britain and France. As previously noted, the impetus for the treaty originates from Britain’s need to redress foreseen “structural” defense procurement shortages within the Ministry of Defence. (see: “When Great Powers Decline…” http://powerpolitics.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2010/10/27/17/) At the […]
Mr. Obama once dubbed himself the “Pacific president”, and rightly so. Less than two years ago, the newly-incumbent Obama Administration began to evaluate its overarching national security strategy for the U.S.. Newly appointed policymakers felt that the strategic focus of the U.S., at the time, was overly biased on the Middle East. When analyzed over […]
China’s military expenditure in 2010 was officially reported at 162 Billion USD, roughly 30% of the current U.S. defense budget. That budget is expected to grow a whopping 85% to 300 Billion USD by 2018. With China surging ahead to achieve parity with U.S. defense spending, other Asian nations are making significant increasing to their […]
Israel’s Military Intelligence chief testified today before the Knesset, stating that proliferation of the S-300 air defense system could send the Israeli Defense Force’s capabilities “back to their status in the 1970s Suez years,” the Jerusalem Post reports. For the past few years, media and official sources have reported intensified efforts by Iran and Syria […]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently concluded a 3-day state visit to Japan. The visit appears to have spurred existing talks regarding civil nuclear cooperation, and has resulted in the agreement to establish a ministerial-level economic dialogue between the two nations. While improving the bilateral relationship between India and Japan should prove mutually beneficial in […]
The British National Security Council is slated to meet to discuss drastic cuts to military expenditure. Purportedly on the chopping table are several key defense projects including, among others, two aircraft carriers currently under construction as well as the replacement project for the Vanguard –class ballistic missile submarine. Some in Britain’s new coalition government are […]
You’ve found your way Foreign Policy Association’s newest blog; and welcome! Power politics can be defined as the state of international relations in which sovereign states leverage tools of national power – political, military and economic – to affect international outcomes in ways which further the national interest. Specifically, the blog will examine the application of hard power […]